Charles Jenkins, Cold War Defector To North Korea, Dies At 77
Stationed at the DMZ, the sergeant made a fateful decision in 1965 to cross over to North Korea. He spent the next four decades as a trophy of Pyongyang.
by Scott Neuman
Dec 12, 2017
2 minutes
In 1965, Charles Jenkins, a young U.S. Army sergeant stationed at the Demilitarized Zone in South Korea, made what he described decades later as the biggest mistake of his life: he got drunk, deserted his post and crossed over to North Korea.
Jenkins spent the next four decades as a Cold War trophy of
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